How Manufacturers Can Achieve GenAI Success

Manufacturers are increasingly adopting and using generative artificial intelligence, and it is changing their businesses for the better. But for the use of GenAI to be truly transformative, company leadership must ensure their strategy builds on six specific pillars, according to a recent article in the Manufacturing Leadership Council’s ML Journal.

Establish an AI control tower: Many businesses are spending money needlessly on duplicative GenAI initiatives. Instead, they should set up an AI “control tower,” a centralized hub for AI tools and use cases that lets them reuse assets to save money and speed up implementation.
Reimagine future business models and functions: Rather than implementing piecemeal updates, companies should consider larger, full-scale revisions with AI. Those that don’t innovate risk being left behind.
Ensure confidence in AI: Keeping human team members in the loop as GenAI deployments happen will ensure employee confidence in the transformation—as will having a clearly defined set of processes and rules in place to govern algorithm and model creation and use.
Address talent and tech gaps: Even as the newness of GenAI implementation wears off, it’s important to continue to provide training. A recent EY AI Anxiety in Business survey found that 80% of workers would feel more comfortable using AI if they were trained on it.
Develop an ecosystem of alliances: To stay ahead of the curve, manufacturers must establish partnerships. These will be critical in filling gaps in their capabilities in an evolving landscape. Specifically, alliances in these four categories are recommended: technology, professional services, academics and data.
Drive focused data maturity to be AI-ready: When it comes to data maturity, company leaders should aim to be smart and focused. Not every piece of data needs to be pristine to be included in your models. Rather, a firm’s data strategy should be governed by how the data will be used.

The benefits: This strategy should address seven key needs: accessibility at scale, visibility, timeliness, openness, reliability, expansiveness and trust and security.

Nominations are open: The MLC, the NAM’s digital transformation arm, is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Awards. Learn more here.